GARY Anderson's hopes of a third World Darts Championship title were dashed as he was thumped 6-1 by world number one Michael van Gerwen on Sunday evening.

The match was played at a typically furious pace and Anderson made two century-plus checkouts in a high-quality opening set, but van Gerwen took it 3-2 to set the tone for what was to come.

The Dutchman won the next eight legs in succession to open up a 3-0 set lead, which became 5-0 as Anderson won just one of 14 legs available.

Anderson went 2-0 up in the sixth set, which he closed out with a double 12 despite having been pulled back to 2-2.

That ensured he avoided becoming just the fifth player to suffer a World Championship semi-final whitewash, and it looked as though the Burnham resident was building momentum when he took out successive double tops to win the opening leg of the seventh set.

He was lax on the doubles thereafter, however, and van Gerwen punished him to take the set and the match as the Dutchman continues his mission for a third world title of his own.

Van Gerwen will play Michael Smith in Tuesday evening's final after the 'Bully Boy' overcame Nathan Aspinall 6-3 in a high-scoring contest featuring 30 maximums.

Smith, who knocked out Wellington's Ryan Searle in the last 16, is on the hunt for his World Championship title.

Ipsoregulated

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